Hazleton man Edwin Batista, 36, is headed to federal prison after admitting to flooding Luzerne County businesses with counterfeit $100 bills over a three-month crime spree. Between December 2012 and February 2013, Batista passed fake currency at multiple storefronts, leaving cashiers and owners holding worthless paper while he walked away with real goods and cash in return.
Federal prosecutors in Scranton didn’t mince words: Batista played a dangerous game with the economy of small businesses. On a guilty plea to a single count of passing counterfeit currency, Senior U.S. District Judge Richard P. Conaboy slammed the hammer down with a 15-month prison sentence. The charge, though singular in count, represented dozens of deceptive transactions that rippled through the local economy.
In addition to prison time, Batista was ordered to repay $6,510 in restitution — the total damage tally from the fraud. He’ll also serve a mandatory three-year term of supervised release upon release, during which any slip could land him back behind bars. Authorities made it clear: passing fake bills isn’t a victimless hustle — it erodes trust, hits profits, and burdens already-struggling mom-and-pop shops.
The investigation was led by the U.S. Secret Service’s Scranton field office, working in tandem with the Hazleton Police Department. Agents traced patterns in the counterfeit notes and matched surveillance footage, transaction logs, and witness accounts to build airtight evidence. The fakes were good — but not good enough to fool federal forensic examiners trained to spot the slightest flaw in ink, paper, or watermark.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Gurganus, who prosecuted the case, emphasized that financial crimes like this are taken seriously at the federal level. “Passing counterfeit currency is fraud, plain and simple,” Gurganus said. “It undermines commerce and targets vulnerable employees who can’t always spot a fake bill on the spot.”
Batista’s case serves as a warning: federal eyes are watching. From diners to gas stations, every fake bill passed is a federal offense. The Secret Service doesn’t forget — and in Luzerne County, they don’t forgive either.
Related Federal Cases
- New York Man Larry Patterson Accused of Passing Counterfeit Cash · Pennsylvania
- NY Men Hit with Counterfeit Cash Charges · Pennsylvania
- Rayvon Kyles Sentenced for Counterfeit Credit Card Scheme · Pennsylvania
- Holliday Faces 25 Years in Counterfeit Cash Scheme · Pennsylvania
- Newark Resident Faces Charges for Counterfeit Credit Card Scam · Pennsylvania
Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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